Digital Marketing Consultant, Social Media Strategy and Management, Video Production in San Diego, CA

Tag: twitter

At the end of each year, it is important to reflect and take stock of what we have done and accomplished. This is important in all aspects of our lives, our businesses and our marketing efforts. Reflecting and evaluating helps us to improve and grow our businesses and operations.

It can be overwhelming to evaluate and measure everything at once, so today we recommend taking a moment before you dive into 2017 to take stock of your creative social media marketing. It’s time to see how CRAFTY you’ve been…

Three steps when evaluating

1. Review all social media postsQuestions to consider as you review your social media posts on all of your platforms:

How many of your posts are creative?

How many are information only?

Which posts received the most engagement?

What days and times were your most successful posts made?

Which posts spurred the most customer transactions?

Which month or months of the year did your social media receive the most attention?

Use Google Analytics, in-app social insights (how nice is it to have Instagram analytics now) and third-party social measurement tools to your advantage and let the numbers speak for themselves.

2. Be ruthlessLook at your social media marketing honestly. If your engagement and transaction numbers are low, be honest with yourself. Review your content, your post timing, and the responses (or lack thereof) from your audiences. Social media marketing can be challenging, but be willing to adapt and experiment to discover what works for your brand, while also keeping in mind that what works for one brand may not work for another.

3. Ask for helpAfter you evaluate your social media content from the year, think about what you have learned and how you can improve. Do you know what do to next? If the answer to this is “no,” then it is time to seek help. It is not always easy to see where you are making mistakes or areas in which you could grow, and this is where a professional can help! Media Melanieoffers a variety of social media and online marketing tactics to grow your social following, increase engagement, monitor your brand, and craft imaginative and inspirational content that will get noticed.

Next, set three strategic goals to improve your creative social media marketing and implement those within the first quarter of 2017. I recommend these:

1. Feed your brain creative content each morningIf you want to produce creative social media content, you must consume good creative ideas! Set aside 20 minutes each morning to read literature, learn how to draw, or listen to a TED Talk. Exercising your creative muscles is essential to your success.

2. Follow creative social media accountsLet others inspire what you do! Find social media accounts that have brands that you respect and admire and that are also successful at engaging their audiences.

3. ExperimentTry different types of posts, use different language or switch up the times that you post. Sometimes you never know what will resonate most with your audience.

I hope that these tips inspire you and help you improve your marketing efforts. Best of luck with your social media marketing in 2017!

This basic human instinct has been making its way into the digital world in a big way, particularly with visual content creation for social media. Social feeds are filled with photo after photo (after photo), making it difficult to stand out from the virtual crowd in a time when almost every person, company and brand is on at least one social network. What does this mean for social media marketing? For starters, it’s time to start thinking outside of the box when it comes to CRAFTING content for a business or brand. Imaginative and inspiring posts are poised for great success in 2017.

Creativity is everything

One of the top reasons why people unfollow a brand on social media is due to posting too much self-promotional or uninteresting content. It’s important to identify the interests of your audience and respond to those needs by captivating them with creative visuals that aren’t viewed as too hard of a sell.

Using a visually interesting image (or video) to convey an authentic sentiment or offer value can garner an emotional response and create an instant connection with your audience.

This tactic gives a nice separation between your ad-centric posts and the personality of the brand and the story behind it. Not to mention the potential for social media success through increased reach and engagement!

Visual content will reign in 2017

Quality content has always been key, but stepping-up the visual game is now more important than ever. Creating beautiful, sentimental images and thought-provoking post content will be a big trend in 2017, along with others such as real-time posting and engagement and of course video (especially LIVE video) and storytelling. Simply put, amazing content will continue to be king; will your business or brand be a part of the kingdom?

Social media marketing and content creation takes a lot of time, effort, and strategy. Working with a professional helps to ease the burden of increasingly high social media demands. Stay focused on your core responsibility: running the day-to-day operations of your business and leave the social media to the pros! Contact Media Melanie today for a complimentary consultation.

Establishing a full-circle social media presence is so important in today’s digital age. One of the key elements in achieving this goal is to incorporate social media widgets and sharing tools directly onto your website. Your website should be the hub of your online presence with your social media profiles acting as branches extending from this central location.

Image from: Social Media Vision

Why add a Twitter feed to your website?

First, you get more bang for your social media buck. Website visitors will see what your most recent tweets are about and then, in turn, will follow you on Twitter simply by clicking on the widget – this is a simple way to gain followers. Second, the Twitter feed will keep your website content fresh even if you haven’t updated it recently. Chances are that you’ve Tweeted more recently than you’ve updated your website, so this tactic will keep your website visitors up-to-date with your social media activity all in one place. Finally, adding a Twitter feed to your website shows that you are up with the times. When a current or perspective client is visiting your website, they will be confident that you are “with it” and utilizing tools to make it easier to interact with your company or brand.

To generate the code to embed a Twitter feed on your website, follow these simple steps:

Social media is a wonderful tool for connecting with friends, sharing news and promoting businesses. Social media has also proven to be a successful tool for online fundraising. I recently read a post from Socialbrite about the success of the Trail of Tails Pet Walk and Festival, who raised $41,000 for the Jacksonville, Fla., Humane Society using social media tools. As both a dog enthusiast and a social media professional, I am truly inspired by their success.

The San Diego “Barking Beach Bash” Walk for Animals is coming up on May 7th; I participated last year and had a blast! This year I decided to form my own team, Media Melanie Mutts. Our team’s goal is to raiseAT LEAST $1,000 in donations. With the right mix of social media and in-person fundraising, I’m confident that we can achieve this task. The next 51 days will consist of using Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and other social sites to gain the support of other animal advocates who can spare a few dollars to help a dedicated team of genuine animal lovers.

A big “thank you” is already in order to my teammate and co-captain, Fantastically Faith, who always encourages me to make my dreams a reality. Media Melanie Mutts would like to thankPoint Loma Pet Pantryfor their generous donation. If you’d like to support our team, please click here.

Our furry friends provide us with companionship and unconditional love, therefore reducing our stress levels. My goal is to “Pay it Forward” to adoptable dogs by finding them loving, forever homes so I can reduce the stress in their lives. I’m about to organize a small dog adoption event in San Diego (thanks to Point Loma Pet Pantry) and I hope to roll-out bigger adoption events in 2011 and 2012 with the help of Brigitte Taylor Events and Pretties with Pitties.

I’m also starting to post adoptable dogs in my Media Melanie Mutts Facebook album. If you or someone you know is considering dog adoption in San Diego, please let me know what you’re looking for – I make an excellent dog-owner matchmaker.

As I continue to see success as a social media consultant, I hope to incorporate more dog-related businesses and organizations into my client mix. Please contact me if you need professional assistance with web marketing, video production or social media profile set-up/management.

If you have a successful social media fundraising campaign that you’d like to share (dog-related or not), please leave a comment! Sharing is caring.

I love social media and have made it a big part of my life by starting my business, Media Melanie. I also love dogs! These are my two rescues, Paco and Maya:

Paco is almost 2 years old and was rescued from Second Chance Dog Rescue of San Diego; he was a Mexican street dog from Tijuana. Maya is about 4 years old and was adopted from the San Diego Humane Society; I have no idea how she ended up there, but I’m glad she ended up with me. They are both a huge part of my life and I wish I could adopt (a lot) more, but I don’t have the ability to do so at the moment. Henceforth:

The past few weeks I’ve casually posted links to adoptable dogs on my Facebook and Twitter profiles. My heart fluttered today when I noticed that a Shiba Inu I had grown fond of and longed to adopt myself finally found a home. It may or may not have had anything to do with my social media efforts, but either way I’m happy and overjoyed when adorable dogs like him are adopted. Since I can’t adopt them myself, I’m promising to be a voice for them by promoting them on Facebook and Twitter as often as I can, in hopes that I can help them find a good home. Here are links to successful social media/adoption campaigns:

What Can You Do?

Please follow me on Twitter@mediamelanie, “Like” me on Facebook and subscribe to my blog on WordPress. When you notice that I’m posting about a dog who needs a home, please RT (retweet) the post or share it with your friends. It’s that simple. A little bit of social media love goes a long way. Sharing is caring!

Together they have allowed for tens of thousands of dogs (and cats) to be saved from high rate kill shelters. Awesome. I wish I had the resources to do what they do. BUT…

With my love of social media and dogs as well as my experience in TV production, I’m ultimately dreaming of getting my own TV show where I go down to the streets of Tijuana, rescue dogs and find them homes. How amazing would that be? All I need is a little bit of support:

Resources to provide a safe and loving location to house the dogs until I find them homes

A strategic partnership with an existing dog rescue, foster program or organization (think Cesar Millan)

An investor to fund a pilot episode

Some really awesome volunteers and animal enthusiasts

Please spread the word to help my dream come true and also to make a difference in the lives of dogs. After all, dogs don’t have a voice of their own. Feel free to add to the idea and comment on this blog, I’d love to hear what you think.

Media Melanie is a freelance Media & Marketing Specialist based out of San Diego, CA. Areas of expertise include:

TV & Film Production

Media Buying

Social Media

Ad Sales

Copywriting

Email Blasts

Promotions

Event Planning

Media Melanie has years of experience in a variety of professional settings that include an ad agency, a corporate marketing office and on-set at multiple TV and video shoots including TLC’s “What Not to Wear.” Media Melanie is also a published freelance writer who contributed to multiple issues of Modern Fix Magazine.

The most recent educational milestone for Media Melanie was in 2008 when she received a “Media Marketing Specialist” certificate from San Diego State University’s College of Extended Studies; she also earned a BA in Communications (cum laude) in 2002.

For a full professional profile please visit Linked In and also keep up with Media Melanie updates on Facebook and Twitter!

Size does matter. These days the size of your friend list on Facebook, followers on Twitter and network on LinkedIn can make you or break your role or position in any field or social circle. Is your cable package big enough? Do you have the premium stations to watch that hyped-up series on HBO like the rest of your friends? Those with basic cable and local stations are dwindling, especially with the downfall of analog TV to full digital and DVR. What’s the average amount of video content you consume in a month between Hulu, YouTube, NetFlix, OnDemand or even ads at the gas pump? Good luck measuring. Unless you are one of the few and proud who has sworn off social media, refused to get a cell phone or still protest an email address – you know exactly what I mean. Personal media consumption is growing at an uncontrollable rate.

If the size of the proverbial boat matters, then so shouldn’t the “motion in the ocean.” Society is increasingly driven by and motivated towards media outlets. If you’re pushing out content then make sure it’s relevent and worthwhile to those your push it to. Nobody wants to be inundated with more junk in their online trunk. When offering a product or service try to consider how your next status update will be viewed by your customers or clients. Conversely, take in quality content to increase your knowledge base. So the next time you post a status update or tweet a thought please try to make it matter – the Internet seems infinite but that doesn’t mean it needs more clutter; make it a “resource” not a “regress.”